What is referral responsibility and how does it pertain to you?

I have been reading and working through Jack Canfields book, “The Success Principals“.  I mentor a couple of people and we have decided to work this book together, allowing us to hold each other accountable and to actually implement the principals in the book.  So we have had a lot of conversation about responsibility and how responsibility shows up for each of us.

As I have worked through this first section of the book, I have done a lot of thinking about all the ways that we do and do not take responsibility and how that applies to the many areas of our lives.  As a person who teaches business owners and sales professionals systems for generating top level referred prospects for their businesses I look at how responsibility applies to that process.

Responsibility

In his book Jack talks about taking 100% Responsibility and giving up excuses.  So, let me ask, do you take 100% responsibility for the results that your network produces?  Most of us will say yes, but I know that is not true.  I hear over and over again the following statement, “Oh I was a member of that organization or tried that program and “It” did not work for me”  Who has the responsibility in that statement?  The very moment that you use that statement, you have given up all responsibility.  Once you give up responsibility you have given up any and all opportunity to change the results.

Building your business by referrals takes a system, networking by itself is only one tool used to develop referrals, and it is your responsibility to learn to use those tools to their full potential.  There is a lot of responsibility that comes with networking and referrals such as: You are responsible for making your referral partners look good.  Even if that means you walk away from the deal.

• You are responsible for giving to your network if you expect them to give to you.
• You are responsible for learning how your referral partner want to be referred
• You are responsible for learning whom they want to be referred
• You are responsible for teaching them the same about you
• You are responsible for keeping your network updated on the referrals that you have received from them
• You are responsible for tracking and rewarding your network for their help

If you network is not working and your referral partners are not referring then it is time for you to take 100% Responsibility for it and stop making excuses.